Highlights of National Tartan Day Committee Events in Washington, D.C. 1998 - 2004

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In 1998 and 1999, Tartan Day grew in size and scope. Particular attention was paid to those U.S. based alumni of Scottish Universities and the National Tartan Day Committee organized a number of events across Washington D.C. Chaired by Joanne Phipps, the committee organized a Scottish celebration on the mall, newsmaker meetings at the National Press Club with Member of the Scottish Parliament George Reid (now Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament), a public forum in Alexandria, Virginia and Georgetown University with representatives from all the major political parties in the new Parliament, and a reception in the Lyndon Baines Johnson room on Capitol Hill hosted by Senator Lott. Myriad events were held across Washington, D.C. to develop a network of expatriate Scots, alumni from Scottish Universities and to strengthen and promote interest in Scotland today.

In 2000, the American Scottish Foundation, working with the assistance of the National Tartan Day Committee’s Chair, JoAnne Phipps, and Vice-Chair, Alison MacDonald Duncan, awarded the Wallace Freedom Award to Senator Trent Lott on April 6, 2000. The Wallace Award is an annual award given by the American Scottish Foundation. The Committee organized receptions at the Woodrow Wilson House, business and political forums at both American and Georgetown Universities, National Public Radio appearances and whisky tastings at the Arts Club of Washington for America’s top political and business leaders.

In 2001, the American Scottish Foundation, working with the National Tartan Day Committee presented the Wallace Award to Sir Sean Connery in a much celebrated ceremony on the steps of Capitol Hill. Senator Lott presented the award to Sir Sean Connery during a ceremony in which Vice President Dick Cheney and twenty-two Senators participated. The National Tartan Day Committee of Washington, D.C., working with the Sir Sean Connery’s Friends of Scotland, and sponsors James and Teri Baron, also organized and hosted a Senate luncheon in the Russell Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, attended by cabinet members, senior Republican and Democrat Senators and Congressmen, and Ministers of the Scottish Parliament from all parties including First Minister Henry McLeish MSP, Patricia Ferguson MSP, Leader of the Opposition John Swinney MSP and Bill Aitken MSP from the Scottish Parliament.

The National Tartan Day Committee also organized forums and receptions for MSPs at Georgetown University and the Cosmos Club. Vice-Chair Alison MacDonald Duncan organized an academic forum for students at Georgetown University which honored guest Sir Sean Connery, before panelists from Strathclyde University, Glasgow University, Marymount College and Stirling University. Chair, JoAnne Phipps, and Vice-Chair, Alison MacDonald Duncan also organized an evening to celebrate Scotland’s links with America at the renowned Cosmos Club and hosted numerous meetings betweens Scotland’s representatives and the American business community across the nation’s capital. The Committee also organized a Scottish Ales tasting featuring Heather Ales at the Brickskellar, designed to reach students in the Washington D.C. area including many from Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, Howard University and Catholic University.

In 2002, the committee, with the support of PepCo Inc, Euan Baird, the Scottish Executive and the Financial Times, organized and presented a Scottish-American Business Forum moderated by William J. Sim, President, PepCo with Mr. Alastair S. McEwan, President, Americas Clinical , Mr. John W. Holaday, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EntreMed Inc., Dr. James Bohland, Senior Fellow for Biomedical, Bioengineering and Health Related Projects, Director, School for Public and International Affairs, Virginia Tech and Dr Gary Evans, U.S. Chief Executive Officer, Angle Technology Group. Wendy Alexander MSP, then Scottish Minister for Enterprise, spoke on behalf of the Scottish Government.

'Scottish - American Business Forum' was organized by the National Tartan Day Committee in Washington D.C

In 2002, the committee also organized, with the support of the American Scottish Foundation and Euan Baird, an Academic Forum and a musical presentation by the National Museums of Scotland at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Moderated by Professor Alice Brown, Vice Principal of Edinburgh University, the panelists were Professor Edward “Ted” Cowan, Chair of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow, who spoke on “A Tale of Two Declarations, 1320 and 1776”, examining the claim that the American Declaration of Independence was modeled after the Declaration of Arbroath; Dr. Richard Finlay, Senior Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Strathclyde, who spoke on “The Land of the Free: Scottish emigration to the United States in the Twentieth Century” examining why the Scots were one of the most successful emigrant groups to come to the United States and why they continued to come to the States even after the introduction of quotas in 1920s; Dr. Mary Furgol, Chair of the Department of History and Political Science at Montgomery College, Maryland, who spoke on “The poor you will always have with you’: poverty and poor relief in the 19th century Scotland and America;” and Dr. Fiona Watson, Director of the Centre for Environmental History and Policy at the University of Stirling, who spoke on John Muir’s wilderness ethic and how that ethic has now been translated back to Scotland from America.
Accompanying the forum was “Songs Inspired by the Scottish Diaspora,” a musical presentation on Scottish emigration by Hugh Cheape, an accomplished piper and curator of the National Museums of Scotland, accompanied by Paul Jordan, of the National Fiddle Orchestra, on the violin. In attendance were various members of the Scottish Parliament.
The National Tartan Day Committee, in response to requests from other Scottish-American organizations in the area who requested more traditional celebrations of Scotland, also organized a performance of the Three Scots Tenors at the National Geographic Society.

In 2003, continuing the tradition of bringing together top level business and political leaders, the Committee hosted a whisky tasting on April 4, 2004 on Capitol Hill by Angus Robertson MP, Shadow Scottish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Westminster Parliament for Moray (whose constituency contains most of the single malt whisky makers in Scotland). VIP guests included Senator Lott and representatives from Congress including Congressman Davies and Mike McIntyre, the guiding force behind House Resolution 41 supporting National Tartan Day, representatives from the house Ways and Means Committee, Sir Sean Connery, the Honorable Ann Veneman, Margaret Curran MSP, Scottish Minister for Parliamentary Business, John Swinney MSP, then Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament, representatives from the British, Canadian, Australian embassies and the Northern Ireland Bureau, and the Special Assistant to the President from the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House. Key representatives from Scottish and American business interests also attended this prestigious event.